1. Technical Field
This application relates to a beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material, a beverage container filling machine, and a beverage container closing machine.
2. Background Information
A beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material can possibly comprise a beverage filling machine with a plurality of beverage filling positions, each beverage filling position having a beverage filling device for filling bottles with liquid beverage filling material. The filling devices may have an apparatus being configured to introduce a predetermined volume of liquid beverage filling material into the interior of bottles to a substantially predetermined level of liquid beverage filling material, and the apparatus configured to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material comprising apparatus being configured to terminate the filling of beverage bottles upon liquid beverage filling material reaching said substantially predetermined level in bottles. There may also be provided a conveyer arrangement being configured and disposed to move bottles, for example, from an inspecting machine to the filling machine. Upon filling, a closing station closes filled bottles. There may further be provided a conveyer arrangement configured to transfer filled bottles from the filling machine to the closing station. Bottles may be labeled in a labeling station, the labeling station having a conveyer arrangement to receive bottles and to output bottles. The closing station and the labeling station being connected by a corresponding conveyer arrangement.
Thus, in one aspect, container handling machines comprise, for example, filling machines, closing machines, rinsers, and the like. In the case of increased production ratings, they are configured as rotatable arrangements and the handling positions that hold the containers are disposed at the circumference of the carousel and the positions move the containers during handling.
With an increased demand for quality of the beverage to be filled into containers and its stability of durability, there is at hand a type of arrangement in which the handling positions are disposed in a closed space that is supplied with a special atmosphere. Such a space can be supplied with an inert atmosphere, for example, carbon dioxide, with a sterilizing atmosphere, or with hydrogen peroxide and thus can ensure a treatment of the beverage that is low in oxygen and low in germs, this being of paramount importance for the filling quality of the beverage. Such handling machines are known in many varieties in the beverage industry.
German Patent No. DE-PS 696,569 shows an arrangement in which a filling machine is disposed in a closed housing. The space that is provided in this manner is determined by the full size of the machine and has a substantial volume. German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 199 11 517 A1 shows a rotating filling machine that is fully disposed in a tightly surrounding housing that has a size that is determined by the size of the machine and, accordingly, the housing is also of substantial volume. German Patent No. DE-PS 198 35 369 C1 shows an embodiment in which the lower handling positions of container handling machines extend in sealed manner from above into a space that is supplied with a special atmosphere. This space is equipped so as to be accessed from below.
A further solution is disclosed in German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 197 31 796. The technical embodiment of this reference comprises a filling machine and a closing machine that are both disposed in a clean space or room that has a volume that is dimensioned so as to be so tight such that there is only space for maintenance at the filling machine and at the closing machine. By way of the reduction of the volume of the clean space, a lowering of the operating expense of the arrangement is to be attained. In addition, an immersion bath sterilizer is directly disposed at the clean space. This measure is to achieve, in contrast with European Patent No. EP 0120 789, to make the second rinser superfluous and to obviate associated operating and capital expenditures. This solution comprises overall the drawback that also in this embodiment there is suggested a clean space that fully envelops the filling machine, as well as the closing machine, and this arrangement requires a large amount of space and high construction and operating expenses. The desired extensive reduction in size of the constructive volume of the clean space that is sought in this teaching entails marked disadvantages, due to the diminished accessibility when maintenance is to be carried out.
The substantial volume of the space that is supplied with a special atmosphere is, accordingly, of disadvantage in the designs of the prior art. In the event of disruptions of operations, the space needs to be opened. It is then filled with normal ambient air and is correspondingly accessible to germs. The subsequent cleaning of the space prior to resumption of operations is largely determined by the surfaces and the overall volume of the space. In the case of the known large clean rooms, accordingly, the interruptions of operations, that are necessary due to disruptions of operations, or required relocation of machines, as well as the unavoidable cleaning of machines, last for hours.
From German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 101 45 803 A1 (corresponding to International Patent Publication No. WO 03/024860 A1, published on Mar. 27, 2003) and German Petty Patent No. DE-GM 297 13 155 U1, (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,867 issued to Karl on Feb. 22, 2000), it is finally known that the closed space is configured as an annular tunnel structure that moves about/or surrounds the carousel of the filling machine and the annular boiler, on the one hand, and by the stationary surfaces, on the other hand, whereby the carousel surfaces and the stationary surfaces are disposed in sealing manner atop one another or, respectively, with respect to one another by way of concentric seal elements. These known configurations already substantially reduce the required clean space.